The Book of Acts: Message Sixty
Two
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
Intelligence
in art won't compensate for ignorance of the
Almighty. Intelligence in science won't compensate
for ignorance of the Savior. The Bible says,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom." The man that doesn't trust in the Lord
is an ignorant man. The nation that doesn't trust in
the Lord is an ignorant nation. The age that doesn't
trust in the Lord is an ignorant age. The world
abounded in physical achievement and mental
attainment just before Christ was born, but in
speaking of that age, the Bible calls it "times
of ignorance."
It's written
in Acts 17:30, "God winked at" the times of
this ignorance. That is, He bore with, without
blasting them in the furnace of fire. Their idolatry
and iniquity hurt Him, as it always does, yet He
suffered them to walk in their ways, and didn't come
forth to punish them, but made as if He didn't see
them. Because He kept silent, one can now see that
which takes place when God is given up.
In those times
there were more idols than individuals, and as a
result there was much iniquity. You can't give up God
and escape the effect. You can't reject the Redeemer
and retain righteousness. Dethrone God and you
dethrone goodness. Enthrone idols and you embrace
iniquity. Your God determines your character and your
conduct. Worship the Holy Lord and you'll walk a holy
life. But bar Christ, the Ideal Man from your
community and schools, and you'll keep your children
from reaching the ideal in life. Bring in Christless
communism and you bring in corruption. Bring in
evolution and you bring in evil.
Though God
overlooked those times of ignorance, it's different
now. A new day had dawned. Christ has come, and
because He has, you're brought face to face with
The Command.
It's written in Acts 17:30, "God now commandeth
all men every where to repent." God doesn't
merely cite repentance, He commands it. Repentance
isn't penance or penitence, nor refinement or
reformation, or sorrow or shame. Judas experienced
regret and remorse, and not repentance, and he
perished. When God commands you to repent, He
commands you to acknowledge your sins, abhor
yourself, abandon your sins, and accept the Savior.
Have you abhored yourself, and cried as did Job,
"I abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes." Have you abandoned your sins and
accepted the Savior, as did the Thessalonians of whom
it's written, "They turned to God from idols to
serve the living God"? If you haven't, you
haven't repented.
Mark the
cause. It's written in Acts 17:31, "Because He
hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the
world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath
ordained." A convict was awaiting execution. As
the new day dawned, he fell on his face and cried,
"At 8 o'clock I must meet God. That's what
disarms me." My friend, you have an appointment
with the Almighty, a crisis with the Christ, a date
with Deity. You can't defer or delay that day. You
can't discard or dodge that day. The Bible says,
"Every one of us shall give an account of
himself to God." When you give an account to
God, you won't be able to deny your sins and dodge
your sentence. You won't be able to excuse your sins
and escape your sentence. The Bible says, "The
wages of sin is death."
Mark the
certainty. It's written in Acts 17:31, "He hath
given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised
Him from the dead." The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus is the ground of the certainty that there's a
life after death. But which will it be for you - the
blessedness of heaven or the bitterness of hell...the
happiness of heaven or the horror of hell? O, hear
me...come to Jesus now and you'll not come into
judgment then...come weeping to the Lord now and
you'll not be cast weeping into the lake of fire
then. But come now. When Mount Pelee began to rumble
and smoke, the folk were told to flee, bu they slept
on and sinned on. Suddenly the volcano belched forth
destruction and death and 40,000 perished. With all
my heart I urge you to flee now from the wrath to
come. Tomorrow may be too late.
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
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the book of Acts.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
